Climate

In general, Italy has a typical Mediterranean climate with mild rainy winters and hot dry summers. However, the climate is subject to local variations. The northern area has more severe winters whereas the central areas are more temperate. Southern Italy has hot, sunny summers with short cold winters.

Longest River

The River Po is the longest river in Italy. It crosses the north, where the three largest lakes are also found (Maggiore, Como and Garda).

Independent States

Italy contains two independent states - Vatican City, where the Pope resides, and the Republic of San Marino.

Art - Florence

According to statistics produced by UNESCO, 60% of the world´s most important works of art are located in Italy and approximately half of these are in Florence.

Gasoline - cost

Americans and Canadians will find gas quite expensive in Italy, so renting a smaller car is good advice. Service stations are open from 7:00AM to 12:30PM and from 3:00PM to 7:30PM. Gas is available 24 hours a day on motorways. Self Serve / Self Pay pumps are available in some places 24 hours a day and require 10,000 and 50,000 lire bill (you would slip the bill in like a vending machine). With a small car, a 10,000 lire bill will give approximately 1/4 tank of gas. It is best to have several of these bills with you when traveling by car.

Rolling Pin

The best rolling pins are made of hard, close-grained wood with a smooth finish. The ideal rolling pin is approximately 1½ inches in diameter and 32 inches long. If you have a new one, wash it with soap and water, dry it well, give it a light coat of olive oil, wipe down with a kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil, and then rub a little bit of all-purpose flour over the pin. Do this several times before using and you will have a rolling pin that will give you years of use and satisfaction.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra virgin Olive Oil is obtained from olives that have been crushed solely by mechanical means and that have not been subjected to chemical treatment of any kind…the oil is simply crushed from the fruit. It may contain no more than 1% oleic acid.

Uses

True balsamics are not to be poured, but used by the drop...Add to marinades, drizzle over finished dishes –simple pastas, risotti, roasted and grilled vegetables, meat, seafood, and flans. It can be used on meat dishes or in a pasta sauce, but it should be cooked only briefly, so as not to cause the subtle flavors to literally evaporate. A few drops, added to a regular olive oil and vinegar dressing will ennoble any salad! Sprinkle a couple of drops over fruit or on vanilla ice cream and rich creamy desserts.

Highway Tolls

Almost all autostrade (except some of those south of Naples) are toll roads. The easiest and recommended way to pay tolls is to use a major credit card. When you get to the exit ramp, look for the lanes with a large sign showing the pictures of the various credit cards. Insert the toll ticket first (with the arrow pointing forward), then your credit card (with the hologram out). If the machine "talks to you," it´s telling you to turn your card around the other way. To get a receipt, push the red button after you retrieve your credit card.

Bel Paese

Bel Paese is an Italian cheese made in Lombardy from pasteurized cow's milk and has a fat content of about 50%. Its form is a rather thick disk usually about 8 inches in diameter and approximately 2 inches thick. Bel Paese has a mild, fruity flavor and is excellent with valpolicella wine.

Pecorino

Pecorino is a generic name for all Italian cheeses made with sheep's milk…its name derived from pecora, the Italian word for sheep. For most of Italy's history, some kind of pecorino has been its preeminent cheese. Sixteenth century records show that one pound of pecorino cost twice as much then as one pound of beef or of Parmesan. Even to this day, a choice pecorino is expensive and Italians with a fine appreciation of cheese are likely to prize it above other cheeses.

Road Assistance

In case of breakdown on any Italian road, you can dial 116 at the nearest telephone. The nearest ACI office will be advised to come to your assistance. On superhighways, use the emergency telephones placed every 2 km.
If you are in need of “spare parts”, any ACI office will give you the address of the nearest supplier.

Fontina

Fontina is a firm, whole milk, slicing cheese from the Piedmont's Val d'Aosta, a mountainous area just south of Switzerland. This is one of the most delicious Italian cheeses. There are American imitations of this great Italian cheese, but they don't compare to the real fontina. Fontina resembles Swiss gruyere and has a light brown crust and comes in large wheels just like swiss cheese, but it doesn't have the network of holes. Fontina is made from cow's milk and is very delicate, somewhat fruity, and mild.

Electric Pasta makers

Electric pasta makers are available that are fast, easy to use, and will do all the work for you. Simply add the properly measured ingredients into the machine, turn it on, and in a matter of minutes all the ingredients are automatically mixed, kneaded, shaped, and extruded from the machine into your desired pasta shape. You can have homemade fresh pasta on your table in 15-20 minutes!

Montasio

Montasio, a hard cheese made from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, is made from whole milk. After two to five months of aging it is used as an eating cheese. The color then is naturally light and straw-yellow. After 12 months the cheese is slightly crumbly and used mainly for grating. It has a pleasant and piquant flavor.

Best time to visit Italy

The best time to visit Italy is in spring (April-May) and autumn (October-November). During these seasons, the scenery is beautiful, the temperatures are favorable and there are relatively few crowds. Try to avoid August, as this is the time that most Italians take their vacations, and many shops and businesses may be closed as a result.

Grape-pressing

The "ammostamento" or grape-pressing takes place after the grapes have been harvested in the vineyards. This is where the must, or grape juice is obtained. In the past, feet did the squashing but today mechanical means are used. The juice travels along pipelines to vats where the alcoholic fermentation of the sugar is caused by micro-organisms thereby transforming the juice into wine. Alcohol is not present in the grape but is formed only by the fermentation of the sugar.

Parmesan Precaution

Parmesan is one of the lowest of the cheeses in fat and cholesterol, but you should still be aware that it has 28 calories per tablespoon and 1.8 grams of fat. In other words, it's 61% fat. My recommendation would be to buy the very best, well aged for taste, and use it sparingly.

Italian Dialects

There are two major groups of Italian dialects, excepting the Sardinian group which is considered another language entirely. These two groups are separated by the Spezia-Rimini line, named for the two cities near which it passes; the line runs east-west across the peninsula, for the most part following the border between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, then cutting into the Marches. Above the divide lie the Northern (Settentrionale) dialects; below it the Central-Southern (Centro-Meridionale) dialects.

Mozzarella

Mozzarella (di Bufala) is a pure white, soft, smooth and moist cheese made I Campania from buffalo milk. It is shaped into small pears or ovals and weighs from 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds. Mozzarella has a mild, creamy, delicate and slightly sweet flavor and is one of the most popular cheeses used in Italian cooking.

The cheese is sometimes smoked and then it is called Mozzarella di Bufala Affumicata or Provola di Bufala Affumicata. In some case its smoke flavor is created artificially instead of natural smoking over fire, but nonetheless, it is still delicious and works well in pasta salads.

Attractions - Duomo

The Duomo, located north of the Signoria on Piazza del Duomo is one of the most famous landmarks of Florence. The immense dome was one of the greatest engineering feats of its day, taking almost 150 years to complete. The Duomo was built between the late thirteenth and mid-fifteenth centuries to an ambitious design, originally the brainchild of Arnolfo di Cambio and realized finally by Filippo Brunelleschi, who completed the majestic dome – the fourth largest church in the world! The Duomo symbolizes Florence at its greatest.